Final Day to Vote for USEF 2007 Equestrian of the Year
Friday, January 4, 2008

(Editor's note: Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. tonight. It's not too late to vote for Michele Macfarlane or Georgia Blevins.)

By Kristyn Kay

As the year comes to a close, the United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) is pleased to announce the 2007 Equestrians of Honor. Of these seven honorees, one will be selected as the 2007 USEF Equestrian of the Year, one of USEF’s most prestigious awards. All of the Equestrians of Honor will be recognized during the Annual Pegasus Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting on Friday, January 11. The Annual Meeting will be held January 9-13 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, KY. For more information about the Annual Meeting, visit www.usef.org/convention/2008.

Michele Macfarlane competed across the United States in 2007, compiling records with both CH (SA) CCV Casey’s Final Countdown and CH Sprinkles in the five-gaited open performance and pleasure sections which are nearly unparalleled in contemporary times.

Macfarlane joined the roster of show ring legends in 2007 when she won the World’s Five Gaited Grand Championship title at the Kentucky State Fair for the third time. She was the first woman in history to win the title in 1988 with CH Sky Watch, winning it again on CH Memories’ Citation in 1996 and in 2007 with Countdown.

Macfarlane, however, has the sole distinction to have won the American Saddlebred world’s most coveted title on the only three horses she has ever entered and shown in the $100,000 championship! In 2007, she overcame shipping and shoeing problems and a reserve championship in the World’s Champion Stallion Stake to come back and win the Big Stake on Saturday night before a tumultuous audience at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY.

2007

·World’s Grand Champion Five-Gaited at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·World’s Champion Five-Gaited Pleasure at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·Reserve Champion Western Country Please Invitational at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·Champion Adult Five-Gaited Open Stake at the United Professional Horsemen's Association Chapter 1 Horse Show

·Champion Country Pleasure English Stake at the UPHA Chapter 1 Horse Show

·Champion Country Pleasure Western Stake at the UPHA Chapter 1 Horse Show

·Champion Five-Gaited Stake at the Santa Barbara National

·Champion Five-Gaited English Show Pleasure Stake at the Santa Barbara National

·Champion Three-Gaited English Pleasure Adult Stake at the Santa Barbara National

·Champion Western Pleasure Stake at the Santa Barbara National

·Champion Three-Gaited Country Pleasure Stake at the Santa Barbara National

2006

·Champion Adult Five-Gaited Show Pleasure at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·Champion Adult Five-Gaited Stake at the UPHA Chapter 1 Horse Show

·Champion Five-Gaited Show Pleasure Stake at the UPHA Chapter 1 Horse Show

·Champion Five-Gaited Stake at the Santa Barbara National

·Champion Five-Gaited English Show Pleasure Stake at the Santa Barbara National

·Champion Three-Gaited English Pleasure Stake at the Santa Barbara National

Bill Robinson Trophy

Georgia Blevins

Hackney/Roadster

In 2006, Georgia Blevins, along with her husband, won the Kentucky State Fair World Championship Horse Show Hackney Hall Of Fame Award, which is given for exhibiting Hackneys, at the Kentucky State Fair, in a manner that promotes interest in the Hackney and enhances the breed. Again in 2007, Blevins proved herself worthy of this honor with another spectacular year in the show ring.

In their second full show season together, Free Willy and Blevins won their second Roadster Pony World Grand Champion title at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship. They made for an exciting show, jogging slow and high, changing gears easily, and trotting square and animated with every step. Blevins and her ponies have put together a chain of victories, showing that she is a competitor of the highest class.

2007

·World Grand Champion Roadster Pony at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·Champion Roadster Pony 50 Inches and Under Stake at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·Winner of Roadster Pony Championship at the Asheville Lions Charity

·Reserve Champion in the Roadster Pony Championship at Lexington Junior League

2006

·With her husband, T.J., she was inducted into the American Hackney Horse Society Hall of Fame

·World Grand Champion Roadster Pony at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

·Champion Roadster Pony 50 Inches and Under Stake at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship

William C. Steinkraus Trophy

Karen O’Connor

Eventing

Karen O’Connor is already a legend in the eventing world. Since she began her eventing career, she has won Olympic medals, been named the United States Eventing Association’s Lady Rider of the Year a record ten times, and ridden such horses as Biko and Prince Panache. However, 2007 has been another exhilarating year for O’Connor. Paired with a 14.1-hand Thoroughbred/Shetland/Arabian cross named Theodore O’Connor (Teddy), she made history. Not only was Teddy the first pony ever to compete at the Pan American Games in eventing, but with O’Connor’s expert talent, they returned from the games with two Gold medals. This followed a third-place finish at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event, the pair’s first four-star competition. This all took place while O’Connor was competing at international events with her other mounts- Upstage, Hugh Knows, Mandiba and Allstar. Her list of accomplishments for 2007 is extraordinary, to say the least.

2007

·Individual Gold-medal winner and Team Gold-medal winner at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro with Theodore O’Connor, the first pony ever to compete at the Pan American Games in eventing

·Reserve Champion of the USEF National CCI**** Championship (Third place for the Rolex CCI**** in Lexington, KY) with Theodore O’Connor

·Winner of Fork CIC*** with Theodore O’Connor

·Second place with Mandiba at the Poplar Place CIC**

·Second place at the Richland Park CIC*** with Upstage

·Second place with Mandiba and third place with Hugh Knows at the CCI** in Ocala, Fl

·Third place at the Red Hills CIC** with Mandiba and sixth place at the CIC***W with Upstage

·Fifth place at the Fair Hill International CCI*** with Hugh Knows

·Sixth place at Jersey Fresh CCI*** with Allstar

·USEA Lady Rider of the Year

2006

·Member of the United States Equestrian Team at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen

·Fifth place at Radnor Hunt CCI** with Lets Make a Deal

·Winner of the Young Horse CCI* in Lexington with Mandiba

Becky Grand Hart Trophy

Miranda Cadwell

Driving

Two years ago, Miranda Cadwell looked for a single pony to drive, but ended up buying a pair. This year, it paid off, as she earned the Individual Gold medal at the World Pony Driving Championship in Dorthealyst, Denmark. Cadwell’s Gold helped the U.S. team to the Bronze medal.

While several drivers reported the marathon obstacle as technically and physically challenging, Cadwell remained at ease while driving the courses. She was the fastest driver in two of the obstacles with her pair of golden geldings. For four obstacles, she was the second fastest. With the power provided by the two ponies, Cadwell has found her calling. This is assured, as she finished 2007 first in the FEI North American Driving Challenge Pairs Ponies.

2007

·Individual Gold medal and Team bronze at the World Pony Driving Championship

·Second place at Live Oak CDE and winner of a special award, Best FEI Marathon

·Finished first in the FEI 2007 North American Driving Challenge Pairs Ponies

2006

·Winner of the Arena Carriage Racing Competition at the 2006 Annual Farm Show in Harrisburg, PA

Emerson Burr Trophy

Scott Stewart

Hunter

Accepting the Emerson Burr Trophy for outstanding achievement in the hunter divisions is nothing new for Scott Stewart. Having won the award first in 2003, 2007 brought about another string of victories for Stewart, giving him an inspiring show record for the year. At the top of that record was Stewart securing the Leading Hunter Rider title at the Devon Horse Show for the fifth year running. What makes the fete even more impressive is that he accumulated the most points towards the award with a catch ride. With only a few schooling jumps under his belt before the class, Stewart rode Highland Park in the Grand Hunter Championship. To finish out the year, Stewart captured the champion titles in both the regular working hunter and in the Moxie Equestrian, Inc. regular conformation hunter divisions at the National Horse Show. These are just a few of the triumphs that led Stewart to be selected as the winner of the Emerson Burr Trophy.

2007

·Champion Regular Working Hunter at the Wellington Classic

·Champion and Reserve Champion Green Conformation Hunter at the Kilkenny International

·Champion Second Year Green Working Hunter at the Kilkenny International

·Champion Green Conformation Hunter at the Kilkenny International

·Champion Regular Conformation Hunter at the Wellington Open

·Champion and Reserve Champion Green Conformation Hunter at the Wellington Open

·Champion First Year Green Working Hunter at Devon

·Champion Second Year Green Working Hunter at Devon

·Champion and Reserve Champion Regular Conformation Hunter at Devon

·Champion Green Conformation Hunter at the Hampton Classic

·Champion Green Conformation Hunter at the Pennsylvania National

·Champion and Reserve Champion in the Regular Working Hunter Championship at the National Horse Show

·Champion in the Regular Conformation Hunter Championship at the National Horse Show

·

Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy

Stanley White, Jr.

Arabian

Stanley White, Jr., hails from one of the leading families in the modern Arabian horse world. In October, at the U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show the National Champion Western Pleasure – Futurity awards presentation filled the arena with the Whites. Having passed on his love of the Arabian horse, reserve national champion was awarded to his son Stanley White, III. The national champion title was awarded to Stanley White, Jr. who also went on to win the prestigious Open Western Pleasure Championship later that week. Stanley White, Jr., has become synonymous with success in virtually every category of Arabian showing.

Stanley White, Jr., is not only a champion in the Arabian rings, but with his side hobby, he has an eight-horse Clydesdale hitch that he has driven to three world championships in the past decade. Stanley White, Jr., is certainly a horseman to emulate.

2007

·Champion Arabian Western Pleasure Futurity at the U.S .Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Champion Arabian Western Pleasure at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Champion Arabian Western Pleasure Open at the Region 12 Arabian Championship

·Champion Arabian Western Pleasure at the Region IX Arabian Championship

Known throughout the Arabian horse industry for his honesty and integrity, Andrew Sellman also has an amazing talent for showing. An accomplished halter trainer, Sellman accumulated a string of regional and national titles throughout 2007. At the U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship, Sellman captured four of the eight major in-hand titles – two of the four were awarded unanimously! With Pyro Thyme SA, he secured the Arabian Senior Stallion Breeding Championship title unanimously. Another unanimous win came in the Arabian Yearling Colt/Gelding Breeders Sweepstakes. Sellman also took the national champion title in the Arabian Yearling Filly Breeders Sweepstakes. Of all the champion titles, Sellman is particularly proud of Star of Marwan, who, with Sellman in the lead, captured the U.S. National Champion Futurity Filly title.

2007

·Champion Arabian Senior Stallion Breeding at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Champion Arabian Yearling Filly Breeders Sweepstakes at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Champion Arabian Yearling Colt/Gelding Breeders Sweepstakes at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Top Five HA/AA Gelding In-Hand Stock/Hunter at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Top Five HA/AA Yearling Filly Breeders Sweepstakes at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Top Five Arabian Junior Mare Breeding Three to Five at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

·Top Five Arabian Junior Stallion Breeding at the U.S. Arabian and Half-Arabian Nationals

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